Hardwood

This is so fucking depressing.

I knew D Rose didn't want to play basketball but this is extreme.

Interesting perspective.

So many fun teams to root for this year that I'm already over the Rose thing. Bulls had no shot with him this year anyway. They got rid of too may other solid pieces. Laugh if you want, but you need guys like Nate & Belinelli to win a title.

Actually totally agree with that. Unfortunately my interest in the league is dwindling as a result.

whatever business sense might be supportive of such an idea, Reinsdorf's house(s) would be burnt down if that happened.

anyway, the dark clouds are likely hovering over the UC for a while now. they'll either blow this team up (trade Deng for younger guys) or thibs rides anyone who can play to another mid/upper 40-win season, they make the playoffs and get beat/outlasted eventually by a better team (just like last year). the players continue to quietly despise thibs destroying them (especially if they trade Deng for young guys and they come into this new system). Drose comes back next year and the front office has again been unable to lure anyone here to play with him.

related - bulls over/under on the year dropped to 39.5. that is a bet probably worth making seeing as the East is complete garbage.

Watching the Bulls-Jazz game right now, although the recording of the recording of the broadcast on "NBA TV" gave me 2 minutes the end of some basketball news show right before it where they spoiled the final score so I don't know if there's any point in finishing it or not.

I can't find any way to feel optimistic about the future right now.

The last few possessions of regular time were kind of fun, otherwise it isn't worth watching.

And there is no possible way to feel optimistic about the future. What made last year so exciting was the constant possibility that Rose could step back on the court at any time. As the season progressed and it became more and more obvious that he was out for the year the silver lining was watching how good the Bulls were without their star, franchise player.

It was fun watching them grind out victories last year and even in defeat we always had the excuse of "well, this isn't really the true Chicago Bulls team, Rose is hurt." Unfortunately with this second injury there is no chance of him returning until next year and we are forced to wonder if this is going to be a recurring problem and if he will ever be able to play to his full potential again. Loul is gone at the end of this year and our most productive player is an aging Carlos Boozer.

Tanking it definitely makes the most sense but I don't think this team is shitty enough to find their way into the lottery, especially with Thibs at the wheel as a previous image really nicely portrayed. The only good thing is that we aren't the Brooklyn Nets and we are going to free-up some cap space through all this, make of that what you will.

Yeah, it's a total disaster. In reality, the team as is is still probably a top 3/4 seed in the East. I'd be all about a 10-72 record, but it ain't possible.

man, to know what kinds of comments Pax, Gar & Thibs have made to each other in the last couple of days about their thoughts on the rest of this season.

zappo wrote:In reality, the team as is is still probably a top 3/4 seed in the East.

That seems crazy optimistic considering they were in like 5th place before Rose went down. Not only have they lost their best player, I'm pretty sure they've lost the will to win. Barely squeaking into to overtime (and then getting smashed) vs. the Utah fucking Jazz is a sign of the direction this team is headed.

3rd through 8th seeds are interchangeable in the dismal east anyway. Can we just skip to the Pacers/Heat conference final, and televise only western conference games for the rest of the regular season?

"Dismal East," yeah. Wouldn't make the playoffs as constructed, in the West.

some manscaping pro tips from NBA players

here's another.  

Kobe from Ian Levy on Vimeo.

i hope every single one on this list turns into a video:
Hickory High - The Mix In My Mind

including

Derrick Rose – “Running with the Devil” by Van Halen
Dirk Nowitzki – “All Night Long” by Lionel Ritchie
Lance Stephenson – “Safety Dance” by Men With Hats
Kevin Durant – “Jukebox Hero” by Foreigner
Kevin Love – “Lady 95″ by Styx

is there any way "Black Desperado" catches on as a late-career nickname for the Mamba?

i was cracking up about 45 seconds into that

yancy wrote:Laugh if you want, but you need guys like Nate & Belinelli to win a title.

Marco shooting a measly 56.3% from behind the arc for the Spurs this season. Thank god we let that boat anchor leave town!

sometimes the grantland "about last night" features are pretty terrible. sometimes they get it right.

Without Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat dropped their second straight game, 107-87 to the Chicago Bulls. "Well played, but that's a load of crap," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said to Tom Thibodeau during their postgame handshake. "You gotta admit that's unfair. Why do we have to play without our All-Star guard? Someone should have postponed the game!" Thibodeau, struck dumb, looked at Spoelstra, furrowed his brow, and cleared his throat audibly five or six times without breaking eye contact. "You OK?" Spoelstra asked. "You need a lozenge?" But Thibodeau just kept staring at Spoelstra, unblinking, until the Heat coach slinked away.

This is gonna be a crazy upcoming run for the Pacers:

@ San Antonio
@ OKC
vs. Miami

Bulls will end up a fifth or sixth spot in the playoffs. Derrick Rose is going to return in the playoffs and we are going to streak into the NBA finals.  

wp64 wrote:This is gonna be a crazy upcoming run for the Pacers:
@LAC (win)
@POR (loss)
@Utah (win)
@ San Antonio
@ OKC
vs. Miami

edited for recent history on existing road trip

Yeah, I can't wait to get Rose back into the lineup. Gonna need his rock-solid 28% shooting, come the playoffs!